What is the Importance of a Properly Sized Furnace?

Having a properly sized furnace system in your home is more important than most homeowner’s realize. A furnace system that is too large or too small can create problems in any home.

Insufficient Size Furnace

One primary wintertime danger in having a furnace of insufficient size to accommodate the entire living space of your home is in maintaining the temperature at a level warm enough to prevent any faucets, drains or water lines from freezing. What many people do not realize is the temperature within a home can fall substantially in the winter, allowing water lines to freeze within walls, floors or in the basement. There is an even higher risk if the home is often left unattended for an extended duration while the owner is at work or out of town. Additionally, both copper and synthetic type water lines can freeze quickly when temperatures begin to drop. Often when the homeowner discovers a water leak, it is not until the plumber arrives and inspects the situation that it is revealed the problem is a frozen water line that cracked or ruptured within the wall of a home. Even if your entire water line does not freeze, your home is still at risk of significant damage from small segments freezing and rupturing within the exterior walls.

Health Effects

Another dilemma created by having a furnace of insufficient size for your home is the effect of the cold temperatures on disabled loved ones, the elderly and children. Often members of this group cannot easily communicate the effects they may be feeling from the cold. Many times they may not even realize how seriously the temperatures are affecting their health. If you are preoccupied, in bed asleep or away for a few hours and you have someone who is dependent upon stable temperatures, having a house that is too cold can create health problems for any member of this group within your family. It is always better to maintain a comfortable and stable environment for everyone to ensure not only comfort, but also safety. For children or anyone with long standing health issues, living in a setting with unwavering temperatures is a must.

Oversized Furnace

At the opposite of the spectrum is having a furnace that is too large for the size of your home. In years past, some would actually have a furnace installed that was larger than what was needed for the square footage of the home they owned. This was done to accommodate future plans of adding more living space to the home sometime in the future. Unfortunately however, most learned the higher heating costs created over time by the larger furnace became more than they could afford.

When a furnace is oversized with a higher than needed BTU rating, finding a comfortable temperature zone becomes nearly impossible. You will find that family members are continually turning the thermostat up only to turn it down again within a few minutes. This is due to the overwhelming level of heat being discharged quickly into a home of insufficient size to accommodate a larger furnace. Adversely, with the furnace off, the temperatures quickly become uncomfortably cold again. The inconvenience and added cost of having a furnace too large for any home often becomes a troublesome and expensive dilemma for the occupants.

Your home is likely your largest investment. Having licensed technicians with a heating and cooling company assess, deliver and install a proper size furnace in your home will go far in preventing substantially higher heating costs and the headaches of continually trying to keep your home at a comfortable temperature level for you and your family. Consulting an expert is a wise decision with the potential to save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars each year.

Instead of considering a furnace replacement on your own, leave this type of work to Heidler Inc. Hiring a professional can help you to preserve your property and your money, call us today at (410) 268-7191 for quality services in Annapolis.